PTSD: Virtual Reality Therapy Part Two: Condemnation

[Ganjarden]

I previously in posted Part One that as a PTSD victim, observer in battle of this, and a physician taking care of over 400 PTSD Vet victims, that I felt that Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) would not work for the most seriously affected PTSD Vet victims although it might for minimally or moderately affected victims.

As a physician taking care of these patients after they have given up and absolutely rejected VA treatment I have accepted what these VA "rejects" have told me. These Vets have told me of the excessive variety and amount of medications tried on them as human "guinea pigs" which usually made them worse from the adverse side effects. Even newspapers and TV news have indicated about one thousand Vet suicides per month from VA medical malpractice.

The concept that Virtual Reality Therapy for PTSD probably has some value for minimally affected victims but for severe "rubber room" victims it certainly has no place. These are the most needful patients. It appears that the success with minimally affected Vets has given the psychology therapists the psychological chutzpah to assume that VRT would work for the most seriously affected PTSD victims.

Whether these psychologists have been able to back and forth "talk" with extremely serious PTSD victims in the 7-8-9-10 category, I doubt it. They are so bad they can't even endure seeing the word PTSD.

I was astonished to see on my computer 43 pages of stories indicating the great promise of VRT (did they have good Public Relations personnel?). Ok, Ill accept that for the minimally affected Vets.

I also looked up Vets comments on VA pharmaceutical therapy which rarely had an even slightly warm comment. Some of the comments about the psychoneurotic wards in Walter Reed Hospital made me cringe in disbelief. The rest appear not much better.

I know from my own experience as a Combat Infantryman in World War II that alcoholic or nicotine use for temporary escapes from battle were what helped keep us going. I have known about cannabis/marijuana as similar medicine for about 60 years.

When my 400 or so Vietnam Vets told me that cannabis gave better relief than Army medications or beer or booze, I paid attention. Some will say to use Marinol which is pure THC and legal medicine. However it's not the same as the natural substance and produces a large amount of "panic attacks" and paranoia in the 10mg dose.. It is used orally and once it is absorbed, panic attacks can continue for several hours. Inhaled vapors (NOT SMOKE) can be easily adjusted to effective dosage.

Now, Nov 5, 2008, Michigan has become the 13th state approving/allowing medical cannabis/marijuana. We are approaching one million legal medical cannabis users. With the U.S. Govt saying some 70 million use it illegally (for medical purposes).

It is time for the U.S. Govt. employees to get over their REEFER MADNESS and regard cannabis/marijuana as the very useful/successful medicine that it is.

In the meantime millions of Vets and their families are suffering. PTSD is the worst sequel of battle and the VA is "supposed" to be taking care of us. WHAT A DISGRACE.


News Hawk- Ganjarden http://www.420Magazine.com
Source: Salem-News.com
Author: Dr. Phil Leveque
Contact: Salem-News.com
Copyright: 2008 Salem-News.com
Website: PTSD: Virtual Reality Therapy Part Two: Condemnation

[ts1229jm]

This makes me sick! I have friends who have PTSD, and it is a serious condition. I am all for research to get rid of or help PTSD but why should the government not take into consideration something that has proven to be successful in helping the men and women who have helped keep this country safe?

It’s disgusting that the government cares more about money from pharmaceutical companies, and protecting the jobs of DEA Agents then helping the poor service people who have given up their sanity for this country.

I guess that’s why my friend says he is in the military for the American people and not for the government.

[BigPhil]

Actually:

Army Tests Yoga & Meditation for
Post-Traumatic Stress

By Noah Shachtman
Source: Wired Blog

The military is scrambling for new ways to treat the brain injuries and post-traumatic stress of troops returning home from war.

And every kind of therapy -- no matter how far outside the accepted medical form -- is being considered. The Army just unveiled a $4 million program to investigate everything from 'spiritual ministry, transcendental meditation, [and] yoga' to 'bioenergies such as Qi gong, Reiki, [and] distant healing' to mend the psyches of wounded troops.



As many as 17 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, one congressional study estimates. Nearly 3,300 troops have suffered traumatic brain injury, or TBI, according to statistics assembled last summer. And the lifetime costs of treating these ailments could pile up to as much as $35 billion, a Columbia University report guesses.
Small wonder, then, that the government is looking for alternate means to treat these injuries. The Defense Department 'is dedicated to supporting evidence-based approaches to medical treatment and wants to support the use of alternative therapies if they are proven efficacious,' notes a recently-issued request for proposals.
But many of these treatments haven't been held up to much rigorous scientific scrutiny before. So the Army is looking to hand out $4 million in 'seedling grants' to 'conduc[t] rigorous clinical studies' into all sorts of 'novel approaches.' Projects 'containing preliminary data' will be eligible for up to $1 million. But even 'innovative but testable hypotheses without preliminary data' could get as much as $300,000. Proposals are due May 15.
'Music, animal-facilitated therapy, art, dance/movement, massage therapy, EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing] program evaluation, virtual reality, acupuncture, spiritual ministry, transcendental meditation, [and] yoga,' might all be considered worth of the military's largess. So would 'biologically-based treatments, botanicals, and nutritional supplements for enhancing cognitive function and mood in patients with trauma spectrum disorders, including TBI and/or PTSD, depression, anxiety, and/or substance dependence/abuse.' Even proposals for wild-sounding 'therapies using bioenergies such as Qi gong, Reiki, distant healing and acupuncture' would be accepted.




This is from the actual DCoePH-TBI Program Announcement:

With the focus on a holistic approach for trauma spectrum disorders, including patients with TBI and/or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and/or substance dependence/abuse, the following delineate several of the areas of interest:

1. Conducting rigorous clinical studies to determine the efficacy of alternative therapies for treating psychological health injuries using techniques such as music, animal-facilitated therapy, art, dance/movement, massage therapy, EMDR program evaluation, virtual reality, acupuncture, spiritual ministry, transcendental meditation, yoga and other novel approaches.

2. Identification of patterns of use of CAM therapies to build resilience in military populations,

3. Identification of factors and perceptions associated with use of alternative and complementary therapies by service-members,

4. Studies of mechanisms and efficacy of biologically-based treatments, botanicals, and nutritional supplements for enhancing cognitive function and mood in patients with trauma spectrum disorders, including TBI and/or PTSD, depression, anxiety, and/or substance dependence/abuse,

5. Studies that examine gender-specific implications and issues related to the use of CAM therapies,

6. Biological mechanisms and efficacy underlying acupuncture for trauma spectrum disorders, including TBI and/or PTSD, depression, amxiety, and/or substance dependence/abuse, including neuroimaging studies.

7. Identification of the use and efficacy of therapies using bioenergies such as Qi gong, Reiki, distant healing, and acupuncture, especially new biophysical approaches involving instrumentation.



So, CAM is certainly an option - for those interested I heartily recommend an energy therapy technique that has shown some amazing results w/ PTSD and thier famalies who live w/ those affected. It's called EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. The main site is EFT Provides Impressive Health and Emotional Freedom--New Discovery Often Works Where Nothing Else, and also another site dedicated to the use of this technique for PTSD is EFT4Vets home Veterans find healing from PTSD with EFT.

Also Read the article about helping Veterans Heal with EFT in the September issue
of NH Magazine, here: New Hampshire Magazine > The essential guide to living in the Granite State